BILL NUMBER: S7890
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the cannabis law, in relation to a conditional adult-use
retail dispensary license
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation is to establish a statutory basis for
conditional adult-use retail dispensary licenses in the Marijuana Regu-
lation and Taxation Act.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act to establish
a new section 72-a.
Section 2: Establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2021, New York passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act
(MRTA), which legalized and regulated cannabis for adult use in the
state.
As the law was implemented, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM)
initiated a class of retail license, the conditional adult-use retail
dispensary (CAURD) license, to assist individuals severely impacted by
the War on Drugs to enter the cannabis industry as retailers.
Though done with the best of intentions, CAURD licensees have, since
inception, been subjected to legal attacks that have stalled their oper-
ation, jeopardized their ability to operate, and to this day place them
in the precarious position of investing and operating cannabis retail
dispensaries that could be suspended, severely altered, or closed
entirely at the whim of the courts.
To prevent these legal dispensaries from further legal attack, the MRTA
must be amended to provide CAURD licensees with a firm basis in law. In
doing so, the law would protect their investments, enable these small
businesses to attract needed capital, and ensure that the aspirations of
the MRTA-to create a pathway to economic opportunity for communities
targeted by the state's punitive drug laws - are realized.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Enactment of this legislation would protect the collective millions of
dollars in private investments that CAURD licensees have made in their
businesses.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.